Women's Issues Articles

At the time of this post, the New York Magazine website is down. They’ve tweeted that they’re experiencing technical difficulties and are trying to fix the problem. Maybe the problem is volume. Last night the magazine published its new cover story featuring 35 of Bill Cosby’s alleged victims, photographed face forward, and an empty chair, meant to symbolise women who’ve yet to come forward. It’s a powerful visual. These are victims who refuse now to exist in shadow.

The magazine spent 6 months investigating the claims. All 35 women were interviewed separately, their stories all told. And their stories are remarkably similar. In addition to their accounts, journalist’s Noreen Malone writes about society’s changing attitude – and subsequent understanding – about rape, and how the internet has helped women find their voice:

"In the '60s, when the first alleged assault by Cosby occurred, rape was considered to be something violent committed by a stranger … But among younger women, and particularly online, there is a strong sense now that speaking up is the only thing to do, that a woman claiming her own victimhood is more powerful than any other weapon in the fight against rape. Read Full Intro

We’ve seen the Star Wars-themed photoshoot already, and now GQ has released their cover profile of Amy Schumer for their comedy issue. They call her the “funniest, gutsiest comedian in America”, and the interview certainly backs up the gutsy claim. Interviewed while preparing for an HBO stand-up special, Schumer comes off as self-aware in the best way—she knows where she fits in the entertainment ecosystem but isn’t overly self-conscious about it. Full Story

Serena. The Serena Slam. It happened. She’s 33 years old and it happened …again! Which, as you know, is an extraordinary achievement when you’re 20 and an even more extraordinary achievement at 30+ in an individual sport. But she’s an extraordinary athlete. The most extraordinary athlete.

I guess that’s why, just hours before winning her Wimbledon title, the New York Times published this gross article about Serena’s body? And how she “has large biceps and a mold-breaking muscular frame, which packs the power and athleticism that have dominated women’s tennis for years. Her rivals could try to emulate her physique, but most of them choose not to”. Read Full Intro

Amy Schumer is promoting her movie, Trainwreck, due in a couple weeks, which means she’s giving a lot of interviews and is very visible right now, which means we have a lot to talk about. Specifically, we have to have the sacred cow conversation again, because Schumer is being called out for her racial comedy and also her non-intersectional feminismFull Story

Rose McGowan tweeted the other day about an audition and the suggested wardrobe.
casting note that came w/script I got today. For real. name of male star rhymes with Madam Panhandler hahahaha I die pic.twitter.com/lCWGTV537t
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) June 18, 2015Full Story

That’s how the online headline reads. And then he goes on to talk about how much his wife and daughter mean to him; he also shares that his proudest moment in life was watching Jenna Dewan give birth and that the first thing he does every morning when he wakes up is check on his baby. Isn’t that so sexy, sweet, and stripperific?!?!

In the top corner…The Bachelorette.

I don’t watch this show, not one episode. But I do know that everyone’s losing their sh-t this week because she slept with one of the men. And is being slut-shamed for it. The quote that’s used for the inset is “Maybe I went too far”. Because she’s expected to apologise for being on a show about dating and having sex with one or maybe more of the men she’s supposed to, maybe, begin a serious relationship with.

Check out Kerry Washington as Anita Hill in the upcoming HBO biopic Confirmation about Clarence Thomas’s Supreme Court senate hearings. This was almost 25 years ago. I was 17, in my last year of high school. It was all over the TV. It would be another year before I went to university, took a Women’s Studies course, and started – just started – thinking about systemic inequality, and how that affected the people around me, how it might one day affect me. Full Story

I’m still thinking about that THR article on Skin vs Prim yesterday. Click here for a refresher. Actresses were classified into two groups: Skins and Prims. The piece failed to point out that for the most part, the Skins are older, while a majority of the Prims they cited are still in what Hollywood has decided is a sweet spot age for actresses: under 30. Full Story

Inside Out was beloved in Cannes. Like unanimously praised. Pixar has made a movie about what it’s like to be inside a young girl’s head. Pixar has made a movie about mental health. Pixar has made a movie that encourages young people to talk about their feelings. Pixar has a made a movie that stars two women, Amy Poehler and Mindy Kaling. Full Story

Gwyneth Paltrow hosted a party for Windsor Smith yesterday in LA. It looks like there were a lot of upper classy people there. Click here to see more guest photos. Almost no front page names other than G but you can tell this is a scene where a certain social hierarchy is observed. Full Story

Melissa McCarthy’s Spy opens this weekend. So far, the reviews are excellent. At post time, Spy is rated 94% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and is expected to take the box office. That’s amazing and it’s important. Because finally Melissa McCarthy is in a feature that’s deserving of her and also, it’s not often that a female comedian gets to lead. And win. Especially when the pressure to win is so much more. Sandler doesn’t have to worry that his sh-tty movies will cost him. He gets to keep making them. But, as we know, as we’ve seen, when a woman carries a movie and it goes down, Hollywood decides it has to take a break.

I laugh every time I see the Spy trailer. And I’ve seen it several times. I love the way Melissa delivers the “Well that’s a confidence builder" line. Even the scooter part is hysterical…because, yes, why does a scooter need a roof? Also, I can’t wait to watch her scenes with Rose Byrne who’s been impressively showing us so much range the last couple of years.

If Melissa opens at #1 this weekend and Amy Schumer’s Trainwreck comes out strong in a few weeks, following the earlier success of Pitch Perfect 2, the message becomes harder and harder to dismiss. Hopefully. One of the gifts of discrimination is its steadfast myopia. This would also describe the Entourage movie.

TIME Magazine has two new interviews up, one with Gwyneth Paltrow and one with Blake Lively, for its new issue about the growing phenomena of actresses with lifestyle businesses.
Obviously, this is something that we’ve talked a lot about here with Goop, Preserve, The Honest Co., Draper James and Drew Barrymore’s Flower. Full Story

Chris Brown and Karrueche Tran broke up 3 months ago, when she found out that another woman had his baby after a one night stand which… really? Like is safe sex extinct now? We couldn’t get away from that message when I was a teenager growing up in the 80s and 90s. It’s terrifying. Full Story

Oh look. It’s Megan Fox on the set of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 in New York and you’re thinking of Britney Spears.
Me, I’m thinking of Michael Bay. And whether or not this is the Michael Bay Women’s Team uniform. After all, this is a Michael Bay production. Would Michael Bay ever allow a female actor in one of his movies to wear drop-crotch pants? A baggy tee? Or even an A-line dress? I’m actually surprised Michael Bay would even cast Megan Fox. Full Story